"D" is for Deoxyribonucleic Acid

Last month I came across an article claiming that we are less than a decade away from being able to store information in our DNA. I set the article aside to read more about it later, but now I can't find it. I guess if I had the ability to convert the information into my DNA sequencing, that would no longer be a problem. I wouldn't be capable of losing stuff. Well, my car keys maybe, but not information stuff.

Searching Google to relocate this info, I learned that researchers have already encoded the "I Have a Dream" speech, the sonnets of Shakespeare and a .jpeg into synthesized DNA (click here, here, or here for info). This has all sorts of implications. The most impressive being that all the information in the entire world (about 1.8 zettabytes), could be stored in less than 4 grams of DNA. Now, I have no idea what a zettabyte is, but I'm assuming it would take a crap megaton of floppy disks to have the same amount of storage space.*

*I don't know the conversion rate from a zettabyte to a crap megaton, so you'll just have to trust me.

 It's a lot.

As impressive as that is, I am more interested in what this means for the future. Right now, they can only write onto synthesized DNA, but soon they will be able to encode the DNA we already have in our bodies. All your medical records could be stored inside your body. Once the technology got to be cheap enough, there would no longer be a need to carry ID around. All your info would be a part of your genetic make-up.

Once the technology is there to do this, anything could be stored in our DNA. iPads would become a thing of the past. You could upload your entire playlist right into your own body. In fact, a small surgical procedure would enable you to hear the songs in your head. There would be no need to worry about batteries or keep your devices charged. With special contact lenses you could watch a movie you had taken the time to upload before you left for work. Give technology a little more time and it could be hardwired into your brain to retrieve the info encoded for yourself.

All sorts of useful information could be stored in your DNA for immediate recall.

• Phone contact list
• Resumé
• Travel itinerary
• Personal calendar
• Recipes
• Train/Bus schedule
• Account numbers
• Entire libraries of books

Of course, we'd have to be careful about what we chose to put in our DNA. A criminal with the right equipment could easily drain your bank accounts within seconds of plucking a hair from your head if you stored your banking information genetically. Without proper precautions, identity theft would run rampant. Also, if we wrote data on the wrong part, it could cause us to grow an elbow out of our forehead or start crying out of our fingertips. While I'm sure there would be a internet market for elbow forehead fetish porn, I still wouldn't want it to happen to me.

Once avoiding the dangers have been figured out, how cool would it be to shake hands with someone and transfer the latest season of Breaking Bad into their genetic code. It could also save a lot of time in dating. Talk a girl into linking up with you and you could quickly scan her genetic code to find out if she listens to Nickelback so you can tell her to hit the road.

We live in an exciting time. Unfortunately, people of today would probably most use this technology to have quick access to their favorite videos of cats or people waking up from anesthesia. I think I can wait.

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Happily participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. For the entire month of April, 1,968 bloggers are working their way through the alphabet. One letter every day but Sundays for a total of 26 days.

Click here to visit the website and get more information to see if you might want to join in next year. It's a lot of fun, introduces you to hundreds of new blogs and gives your writing some fantastic exposure.